Method of manufacturing woven pile fabrics



R. DAVIES March 15, 1955 METHOD OF MANUFAC TURING WOVEN PILE FABRICS Filed Oct. 26, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTQR M EYS R. DAVIES .March 15, 1955 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WOVEN FILE FABRICS Filed 001. 26. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 15, 1955 R. DAVIES 2,704,091

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WOVEN PILE FABRICS Filed Oct. 26. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet '5 A nvvavro United States Patent METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WOVEN PILE FABRICS Rowland Davies, Kidderminster, England, assignor to Carpet Trades Limited, Kidderminster, England, a British company Application October 26, 1951, Serial No. 253,291

2 Claims. (Cl. 139-39) This invention has reference to improvements relating to carpets or similar woven pile fabrics and the method of manufacturing them on a wire tapestry loom and has for its object to provide a method as aforesaid whereby new weaves may be produced with minor alterations to existing looms and whereby a carpet incorporating lengthlelnitli tufts can be formed in which the tufts are securely The invention consists of a method of manufacturing carpets or similar woven pile fabrics on a wire tapestry loom characterised by the "passing of the stuifer warp through an additional heddle frame separate from the heddle frame for the pile yarn and so timed as to move once for every two movements of the heddle frame for the pile yarn and out of synchrony with the movements of the heddle frames for the chain threads whereby the pile yarn is Woven alternately under the upper and lower weft threads. The invention further resides in a carpet or similar woven pile fabric manufactured as aforesaid.

In order to give a clearer understanding of the present invention, in the following description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1-4 illustrate diagrammatically a warp-wise row of pile yarn being woven over pile wires in the loom during four successive stages in the operation of the loom.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate two forms of wire such as may be used in manufacturing one particular form of carpet or similar pile fabric by a method in accordance with the present invention.

Figures 7-12 illustrate diagrammatically the changes effected in a warp-wise row of pile yarn during the slic cessive withdrawal of the pile wires when manufacturing a carpet or woven pile fabric in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

In order to manufacture a carpet or similar woven pile fabric in accordance with the present invention a normal wire tapestry loom is altered by the provision of an additional heddle frame through which the stutter warp is passed said frame desirably being disposed between the front heddle frame for the pile yarn and the two heddle frames for the chain threads. This heddle frame for the stuifer warp is provided with separate cam operating means which is so timed that the heddle frame moves only once for each two movements of the front heddle frame through which the pile yarn passes but is out of phase with the timing of the heddle frames for the chain threads in that this frame moves with that movement of the pile yarn frame which does not correspond with a movement of the chain thread frames. The result of this alteration to the loom will become apparent from reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings wherein in Figure 1 it will be seen that the front heddle frame 10 of the loom through which the pile yarn 11 passes is up, as are the heddle frame 12 through which the stuifer warp 13 passes and the heddle frame 14 through which the one chain 15 passes, whilst the heddle frame 16 through which the second chain thread 17 passes is down. This position coincides with the insertion of a pile wire 18 and a weft shot 19 which is to become one of the lower weft threads of the fabric. The next stage in the operation of the loom is illustrated in Figure 2 in which it will be seen that both the frames 10 and 12 have descended whilst the frames 14 and 16 remain in the same position as that shown in Figure 1. At this stage in the operation of the loom another weft thread 20 which is to become one of the upper weft threads of the fabric is inserted in the shed. At the next stage in the operation ice of the loom illustrated in Figure 3 it will be seen that the frame 10 has risen, the frame 12 has remained as in Figure 2 and the frames 14 and 16 have descended and risen respectively. At this stage in the operation a second pile wire 18 is inserted in the upper shed whilst another weft shot 20 is passed through the lower shed, this weft shot becoming another upper weft thread of the fabric, as will be seen from Figure 4, illustrating the next stage in the operation of the loom in which it will be seen that the frame 10 has again descended the frame 12 has risen and the frames 14 and 16 have remained as in Figure 3. At this stage another weft thread 19, to become a lower weft thread of the fabric, is inserted and the next stage in the operation of the loom brings the frames to the positions shown in Figure 1 to complete the cycle of operations.

From an examination of Figure 4 it will be seen that the resulting weave is peculiar in that the pile yarn is passed alternately beneath lower and upper weft threads. When using the normal plain pile wires 18, although not apparent from the drawings, the resulting weave has a barred or striped effect, since the loops of alternate rows appear to be inclined to one another and result in different shadow effects. It will, of course, be appreciated that by providing the pile wires 18 with knives at their ends remote from their eyelets then when withdrawn the resulting fabric consists of cut pile in known manner.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 7-12 of the accompanying drawings a method of producing a particular form of fabric by the use of the weave already described is illustrated. The pile wires for producing this particular fabric are of two kinds arranged alternately, the one kind 18a, illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings, being a normal form of wire furnished with a cutting edge 21 at its end remote from its eyelet whereby it is adapted to be withdrawn from the loom, whilst the other type of wire 18b is also a wire, known per se, having a raised section 22 at its end remote from its eyelet, the said raised section 22 being adapted to draw up the loops of pile yarn passing over the wire to an increased height as the pile wire is withdrawn from the fabric in the loom. These two forms of wire 18a and 18b are woven into the fabric in the loom alternately in the manner described it being noted from an examination of Figure 7 that the pile wires 18:: are inserted in the shed after the pile yarn has been bound in position by a lower weft thread, whilst the pile wires 18!) are inserted into the shed after the pile yarn has been bound in position by an upper weft thread.

Referring now to Figure 8 it will be seen that after the first wire 18a is withdrawn a row of normal cut pile results. On reference to Figure 9 it will be seen, that the withdrawal of the next succeeding wire 18b has resulted in one half of the aforesaid row of cut pile being drawn from beneath an upper weft thread 20 so as to form a pile leg 23 of increased height.

A study of Figures 10-12 will show that this sequence of operations is repeated until the resulting fabric 1s formed by a series of tufts each composed of a long leg 23 and a short leg 24. These tufts are held in position by a lower weft thread 19 which gives them greater security than if they were held in position beneath an upper weft thread and this security can be further increased by rubberising or otherwise treating the underside or back of the fabric.

I claim:

l. The method of manufacturing woven pile fabrics having warps including stuifer and pile warps and upper and lower wefts, which comprises forming a shed in the warps below the pile warp and above the stuffer warp, inserting in said shed between the pile and stuffer warps a pile wire having a cutting edge and inserting in said shed a lower weft below the stutr'er warp, then forming another shed above the pile and stuifer warps, thereby weaving the pile warp over said pile wire, inserting an upper weft in said shed above the pile and stuifer warps, then forming a shed below the pile warp and above the stuffer warp, thereby weaving the pile warp under said upper weft, and inserting between the pile and stutter warps a pile wire having relatively lower and raised portions, then lowering the pile warp below the stuifer warp,

thereby weaving the pile warp over the relatively lower portion of said second-mentioned pile wire and forming a shed, and inserting therein a lower weft between the stutier and pile warps, and then raising the pile warp above the stulfer warp, thereby weaving the pile warp under said lower weft, and withdrawing successively the pile wire having a cutting edge, thereby cutting the pile woven thereover, and the pile wire having the relatively raised portion, thereby withdrawing from beneath the upper weft half of the pile cut by the previously withdrawn pile wire.

2. The method of manufacturing woven pile fabrics having a stutter warp, a pile warp, upper and lower wefts, and a pair of chain threads, which comprises forming an upper shed below the pile warp and above the stufier warp and both chain threads, inserting a pile wire in said shed between the pile warp and one of the chain threads, and forming a lower shed below the stuifer warp and above the other chain thread, and inserting therein a lower weft, then forming a shed below said one of the chain threads and above the pile warp, stuffer warp and the other chain thread, thereby weaving the pile warp over said pile wire, and inserting an upper weft in said shed between said one chain thread and the pile warp, then forming a shed below the pile warp and above the stufier warp and both chain threads, thereby weaving the pile warp under said upper weft, and inserting another pile wire in said shed between the pile warp and said 5 other chain thread, and forming another shed below said other chain thread and above the stufier warp and said one chain thread, and inserting an upper weft therein between said other chain thread and stufier warp, then forming a shed below the stuifer warp and said other chain thread and above the pile warp and said one chain thread, thereby weaving the pile warp over said other pile wire, and inserting a lower weft in said shed between the stufier warp and pile warp, and then forming a shed below the pile warp and above the stufier warp and both chain threads, thereby weaving the pile warp under said lower weft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 696,015 Dornan Mar. 25, 1902 995,693 Lowe June 30, 1911 1,287,997 Hope Dec. 17, 1918 1,659,626 Crossland Feb. 21, 1928 2,164,090 Shuttleworth June 27, 1939 2,285,332 Gebert June 2, 1942 2,325,520 Krijger July 27, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 347,342 Germany Jan. 17, 1922 219,395 Switzerland May 16, 1942 

